Christmas Eve

Christmas was as joyous and fun as always, and wow, it's already New Years Eve! Chris and I plan on spending a quiet night at home with a few close friends, champagne, and watching the ball drop on TV. Here's a re-cap from my Christmas eve:

[loads of presents under the tree]


[the table set-up]


[my DIY snowflake name place-cards]


[cute coasters that i bought from paper source last year]


[enjoying the festivities with my mom]

[my favorite present of all, courtesy of chris' grandmother: cupcake PJs!]

Sparkles And a Great Big Countdown

Christmas isn't quite here yet, but I'm already infatuated with the idea of New Years Eve. I can't help but fall in love with all that glitters about the holiday: the sparkly dresses, champagne, and the promise of a bright new year. I've compiled a list of some my (many) favorite New Years Eve dresses, even though I've already found one for myself here and can't wait to wear it with a pair of fun, bright flats and a tough black leather jacket to balance it out.

1. ModCloth "Striking Gold" Dress
2. Modcloth "Stylish Self Di-Sequin" Dress
3. Adrianna Papell Sequin Cap Sleeve Dress
4. U.O. "Cooperative Fireworks" Dress
5. Forever21 "Sequin Underlay Fit & Flare" Dress
6. Anthropologie "Polished Platinum" Dress
7. French Connection Sequin Minidress

Random

Homemade biscotti dipped into freshly brewed coffee:

Rainy day in the canyon:

Pizzeria Mozza

Chris and I love to visit restaurants that pride themselves in great pizza, and Pizzeria Mozza was no exception. It was pretty rainy that day, and we stopped in on a whim. We were seated at the bar with a great view of the pizza making station and wood burning oven. I'm pretty sure this is the best seat in the house. I mean, really. Watching the dough being rolled out (by hand) was pretty magical in itself. I checked in on foursquare and we were able to get two free glasses of Prosecco, which was the perfect partner to our pizza. Ours was full of fennel sausage, panna (a very yummy cream-like cheese), red onions and scallions. Honestly, all of the pizzas sounded amazing and I can't wait to go back and try more soon (even with the prices being a little steep).

...and the dessert menu, which I was too stuffed to even think about ordering from:

Christmas Time at the Castle

The past week has been going by so quickly, and I have so much to share.

Chris' cousin and her baby were here visiting us last week. Among all the activities, it's safe to say that building the gingerbread house & buying/decorating our tree were among the highlights.

Opening up the box:



Adorable Amalia helping to build the house:



The finished product:



Decorations around the house/The tree:

Icicle Alley covers Rudolph

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

My side project, Icicle Alley(http://www.facebook.com/iciclealley), has released our Christmas single! Click the link to check it out.

John Lennon

Today marks the 31st anniversary of John Lennon's death. Though I wasn't alive when it happened, I still feel a large amount of sadness. I grew up listening to The Beatles and at one point was actually obsessed. I had pictures of them everywhere, all over my walls. They were all I listened to. I went to London with my mom and dragged her around to all of the famous Beatles "spots" including Abbey Road, taking a train to Liverpool to see where they grew up, etc. etc. John has always been my favorite. I like his sense of humor, I like his songwriting, and I like him as a person. I purchased his solo box set when I was fifteen and it changed my life. This is my tribute to a wonderful songwriter and a great man. If he were still alive today, he would be 71.

Hokise Trunk Show

TodayI stopped by a trunk show for the jewelry line Hokise at Tori Spelling's store (InvenTORI) that I frequent every so often. I have a friend who works there and I thought it would be fun to visit him and see the line. Upon arrival, I noticed the dessert table that was still being set up with Christmas-y decorated cookies, cake pops, and cupcakes (which were amazing). Inside, there was a table set up with hot cocoa, coffee and wine. My poor friend Anthony was swamped with customers, so Chris and I looked around(while we waited to say hi) at the candles, adorable coffee table books, plates, etc. and my favorite- the cheese honey, which I need to buy one of these days. I fell in love with this gorgeous 14k gold necklace by Hokise, which is definitely going on my Christmas wish list.

The desserts (made by JennyCookies.com):



I love Tori. This is the third time I've met her and she's always been so nice. I also adore her kids. They are the cutest. Liam & Stella were running around the store each with pink and blue hair-clips in their hair. So precious.



Adorable wreath from Trader Joe's we put on our door when we got home:

The Happiest Place on Earth

Growing up in LA, I've been going to Disneyland since I was a little girl, and I always have the best time. It remains to be a magical place to me even in my mid-to-late twenties. I went a few days ago with family, and it was a lovely warm day. We didn't have to wait in too many lines, and I had the best vanilla sundae ever.